Quick Fact

People & Lifestyle

Canada’s Capital City is Ottawa, located in the province of Ontario. City of Ottawa population: 812,000.

More than 80 percent of Canadians live in cities and towns, most within 125 miles of the US border.

English is the mother tongue for 59.1 percent of Canadians; French, 22.9 percent; 18 percent speak neither of the two official languages. Canada’s Aboriginal peoples speak some 50 Aboriginal languages including Ojibwe, Cree, Inuktitut and Mi'kmaq.

Canada is an officially bilingual country. Canadians from across the country have the right to access federal government services in English or French.

Aboriginal peoples have resided in the territory now known as Canada for several thousands of years. Canada is now home to people who have come from every part of the world. There are more than 200 ethno cultural communities in the country. Through the Canadian Multiculturalism Act, the government encourages Canadians to take pride in their language, religion and heritage and to preserve their customs and traditions. Multiculturalism aims to preserve a sense of belonging and cross-cultural understanding among Canadians.

There are more than 900,000 Aboriginal people in Canada. This includes approximately 600,000 people of First Nations descent, 290,000 Métis, and 45,000 Inuit.

Canada is consistently ranked as one of the top countries in the world for its exceptionally high quality of life. The UN Human Development Index, (which ranks countries in terms of standard of living, health, education, life expectancy, income, poverty levels and environmental quality) places Canada consistently in the top six among a field of 177 countries.